Film Theory
1. Actors’ codes:
i) Body Language
ii) Facial Expressions (Close-ups)
iii) Costumes (E.g. Costumes used to work out time shifts, etc.)
iv) Make-up
2. Technical codes:
i) Camera
¾ up the screen = Eye level of actor
Foreground / Middle ground / Background => 3D-like image (Photograph – 24 shots per second)
Framing: Long shot (Establishing shot) / Medium (Norm) / Close up (Facial) / Point of view shot
Moving: Pan / Tilt / Tracking shot (follows actors as they move) / Zoom / Aerial shot
Tilting (Dominance / Submission) – High angle / Low angle
ii) Lighting
Three-point light (=> norm.)
Side lighting (=> two sides to a person’s character)
Back lighting (=> halo effect)
Front lighting (=> ghostly)
iii) Sound
Dialogue
Digetic (on screen) and Non-digetic (off screen)
Music (sometimes associated with a character, e.g. Jaws)
Soundtrack (commercial value)
Voiceovers
iv) Mise en scène
Props / Objects
Setting
Use of colour
v) Temporal
Time shifts
Subtitles
Calendar pages flipping / Red Letter Day, etc.
Clothing changes
Editing: Fade / Cut / Dissolve / Black out / Fast v slow editing
i) Body Language
ii) Facial Expressions (Close-ups)
iii) Costumes (E.g. Costumes used to work out time shifts, etc.)
iv) Make-up
2. Technical codes:
i) Camera
¾ up the screen = Eye level of actor
Foreground / Middle ground / Background => 3D-like image (Photograph – 24 shots per second)
Framing: Long shot (Establishing shot) / Medium (Norm) / Close up (Facial) / Point of view shot
Moving: Pan / Tilt / Tracking shot (follows actors as they move) / Zoom / Aerial shot
Tilting (Dominance / Submission) – High angle / Low angle
ii) Lighting
Three-point light (=> norm.)
Side lighting (=> two sides to a person’s character)
Back lighting (=> halo effect)
Front lighting (=> ghostly)
iii) Sound
Dialogue
Digetic (on screen) and Non-digetic (off screen)
Music (sometimes associated with a character, e.g. Jaws)
Soundtrack (commercial value)
Voiceovers
iv) Mise en scène
Props / Objects
Setting
Use of colour
v) Temporal
Time shifts
Subtitles
Calendar pages flipping / Red Letter Day, etc.
Clothing changes
Editing: Fade / Cut / Dissolve / Black out / Fast v slow editing